When I first saw this sculpture in the Tate Britain, the first thing that I thought was that this woman was in a peaceful sleep, and didn't care that she was positioned in such an open way where viewers were allowed to see her whole body. She appears to be comfortable with her body on display for all to see, which to me makes her appear confident and in control. However, I then read the description beside the sculpture:
This subject was based on an old legend explaining the origin of Loch Awe in the Scottish Highlands. A nymph was asked to watch a magic well to check that the water did not rise above a certain height. She fell asleep, the water rose and she drowned. Dead or dying female figures lying prostrate on the ground were a popular subject in French art at this time. But they were usually more sensuous than Frederick Pomeroy’s figure. In contrast, he arranges the woman’s limbs to emphasise the weight and vulnerability of her body.
My first reaction was surprise, which then turned into sympathy, and I looked at the sculpture in a completely different light as I had done before. When I first saw the sculpture, I only spent a minute, probably even less, looking at it. After I had read the description, I spend over two hours looking and drawing from it, and my opinion on the whole sculpture had changed. Although she still looks to me as if she is in a deep sleep, she looks much more vulnerable then she did before. The smoothness of her skin and the light that reflects off of it also emphasises her innocence.
What I found interesting about this sculpture in particular was how the sculptist had made her hair and the ruffles in the material underneath her look sort of like waves. This relates back to the story of how she drowned. Her hair looks as if it is part of the material beneath her, as if she is slowly drifting away with the water. Eventually, her body will also drift away. The atmosphere is extremely calm and peaceful, even though the story of what happened to her is very upsetting. This whole contrast makes the viewer feel even more sympathetic towards her, feeling that she is much too young and innocent for this to have happened to her.
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